WK: Power of Nature - S3 - Episode 09 - An Un-bear-able Situation
by Taismo-89
Summary: Collab with Soul. When a mother bear gets injured in a battle, Martin takes the role of babysitter for her cubs. However, his new role may also teach him something to help with his own family issues. WK and its original characters do not belong to any of us, it belong to PBS.


The Tortuga HQ flew over the European skies, over a majestic forest.

"Europe. Can't stop but to feel like home," Elsa commented, observing the skies from the Tortuga's shell.

"You said it, sis," David agreed. "After all, our ancestors grew up here, and so did theirs, and so did theirs, and so it goes."

"And so does the creature we're going to see in action today: _Ursus arctos_ , AKA the grizzly bear," Aviva added.

"Yeah! Bears!" Sam celebrated. "I love bears! They're fuzzy, and tough, and brave..."

"And stinky," Elsa mocked.

"Watch it, little missy!"

"So… I heard about Ventus and Martin..." Bites whispered to Koki. "Are they still… you know..."

"Well… let's just say they're taking a lot more than we thought to make amends," Koki replied. "Ventus wants to, but… Martin won't give in."

"Well, I don't blame MK. Ven did go total crazy overdrive about Thorn," David commented, remembering the pain in his wrist. "My wrist still hurts from that squeeze."

"I still can't believe he would go as far as..." Jimmy didn't dare finish his sentence, but the girls nodded in agreement. They saw Ventus coming nearby and decided to quit talking about that.

"*sigh* I don't know what to do… he simply ignores my existence now," Ventus told them. "I tried everything I could: apologies, helping him, trying to talk… nothing works."

Chris didn't like the situation at all. He did recall the Thorn incident, but… couldn't his big brothers just drop this?

"Martin… look, don't you think you're being… too hard on him?" he tried talking to the Kratt in blue.

"... Maybe…" Martin recognized. "But… I don't know... This time he has… gone too far. He's family and family never… ugh... I couldn't bare the fact that he was trying to..."

"I know, I know… but… he said he was sorry," Chris said. "And he tried a bunch. Don't you think it's time to... at least walk a few steps? Just a few?"

"... It's just not enough, bro. Just not enough," Martin sighed, feeling like crying. Chris saw his earring get a bit dark.

Jimmy landed the Tortuga in a clearing. Once it landed, the team left the ship.

"So, where can we find a grizzly bear around here?" Mina asked. Clarissa went in wolf form.

"I can sniff one out," she suggested.

"How are you sure it'll be a bear scent? There are many creatures around Europe," Elsa asked.

"Can't wolves distinguish different animal scents or something like that?"

"Yeah… but you never saw a bear before, have you?"

"Good point."

"Let's do what we've done in the Black Jaguar adventure: look for the bear's den."

"Where do they usually make those dens?" Mina wanted to know.

"Usually in caves or areas where it won't rain on them."

"There is a cave about ten kilometers. Let's see if there's someone home," Chris pointed out on the Creaturepod.

* * *

Once arriving at the exact location, they hid behind the bushes and looked around.

"I just hope we don't wake him up." Jimmy held his girlfriend's arm tightly.

"Jimmy, it's not even close to winter. If there's a bear here, it's not hibernating," Koki assured.

"But he has a point, though: Grizzlies can be aggressive," Ven pointed out.

"The grizzly bear is one of the largest bears in the world, only second to the polar bear in the arctic," Chris informed.

"Scientists estimated that a bite from a grizzly could crush a bowling ball," Martin pointed out. Jimmy gulped. "They tend to be really agressive for protection, especially of their offspring."

"And there's a theory that a male grizzly will kill a mom's cubs just so he can pass his genes onto her."

"Genes?" Elsa asked. "Creepy." Aviva chuckled.

"No, genes are what give people and creatures the traits they have," she explained. "Although explaining every detail will take a bit of time."

"Hush! I'm seeing something coming out of the cave," Sam pointed out.

 **"Scanning with night mode,"** M.A.T.I. stated. **"There's... three roly-poly things inside."**

"Three?" Sam asked. Out of the cave, a grizzly bear came over with two bear cubs.

"A bear mom and her cubs!" Aviva squealed.

"Awe, they're adorable," Clarissa commented. The two cubs started to play with each other.

" _Ay que lindos_ ," Aviva said.

"Oh, playing for bears and other creatures isn't just for fun," Martin informed.

"Nope, many creatures play with each other as a training for survival and hunting, like lion cubs and wolf pups," Chris added.

"Now those bears sure know how to take each other down," Sam chuckled, as he saw the cubs playing. "They're my favorite creature."

"I thought the raccoon was your favorite 21st century creature," David teased.

"Well, after bears," the mutant commented. "Boy, what I would give to have that fur and ferocity."

"Strange you should meniton that. I just realized we never really made a Bear Power Disk," Aviva noticed. "We had seen black bears in North America, but I never actually programmed anything related to it."

"Gotta make it?"

"Gotta make it," Aviva decided. "I'll get the M.I.K. and be right back!"

"I call first dibs!"

"You don't even have a CPS, Sharkboy," Elsa teased.

"So? It doesn't mean he can't borrow mine, right?" Ven took off his CPS and gave it to Sam. "He's pratically my size, so it'll fit."

"Thanks, VK."

"Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?" Koki asked.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"His DNA is mutated. Who knows how the Power Suit will react to new genetic alterations?"

"... Why do you always have to be right?" Sam complained.

"Guys! Problem at 3'o clock!" Clarissa saw something. The momma bear was coming alright at them.

"Uh-oh. Grizzlies, especially sows, other name for females, usually avoid humans. But they will attack if they're too close!" Martin started to back up.

Mina stayed in place, though.

"Mina! Get away!"

The grizzly bear growled at her. But instead of answering with fear, she moved her hand close to the muzzle and caressed it.

"Wow..."

"Oh right, even ferocious creatures don't normally attack nymphs," Elsa remembered.

"You could've said that earlier, you know," David deadpanned.

"It's fine, guys. She'll not attack, unless the cubs are in trouble," Mina assured. "Can we see them, please?" she asked. The sow gave a whinny, as if saying it's fine.

One of the cubs accidentally tripped and rolled in front of the team. Then, the other one started to play with Mina.

"Get my camera in my backpack. This is so adorable!" Chris squealed. The cub closer to them came closer to Ven. The cub tripped again at his feet.

" _Pobrecito,_ " he said, kneeling down to the small bear. "He's pretty clumsy."

"Actually, SHE's pretty clumsy. It's a girl cub," Elsa told him.

"I'm back," Aviva called, putting the M.I.K on the ground. "Any info, guys?"

"Well, for a start, grizzlies are excellent diggers. Their claws are about four inches long, and they have a distinctive hump on their shoulders. The hump gives the grizzly the power to dig in the ground and tear apart dead logs to find food."

"Like raccoons, they're omnivores, though they don't digest plants very well, and find their food with their excellent sense of smell. And even though they're extremely large, they can run up to 35 miles per hour."

"Good enough. Digging, speed and strength are always good Creature Powers."

"Look!" Elsa gasped. "There comes another bear!"

"Is it the cubs' father?"

"No, Mina. Grizzlies are usually solitary bears," Chris explaied. "I think that's an intruder. A male that wants to get to the cubs."

"Well, he's not gonna do it. Not with Momma Bear around," Koki pointed out the mother bear was on her way to protect her cubs. "Get him, girl!"

The mother fought the male with her claws and strength.

"Wow, look at her go. It's like watching sumo wrestlers trying to knock each other down," Jimmy geeked out.

"But it looks like he's got the upper hand," Elsa gulped.

"Hey, where are the cubs?" Ven realized. Then, he saw the furballs in front of the bush, fearing for their mom. "No, no! Come back here. It's not safe."

The grizzly enemy growled as he saw the defenseless cubs. But the mother bear would not let him touch them. Their fight ended with her being knocked down. By that time, Elsa and Mina had already called the cubs back.

They waited until the grizzly enemy was gone. The bruiser chose to leave and he disappeared into the thicket.

"Momma Bear?" Mina called. "Oh, my. Her paws are wounded, and her body is in pain."

"We gotta take her to the Tortuga. We can help her there," Aviva said.

"But… what about the cubs? They can't be on their own," Elsa pointed out. "And they can't make contact with people. You said it in the past. Animals could abandon their babies if they smell human."

"But not a familiar scented creature," Martin decided. "Aviva, is the Grizzly disk ready?"

"Yes, but… YOU'RE taking care of them?"

"They should be easier than taking care of two baby nymphs of opposite elements."

"I'll help you," Ventus offered.

"No. You stay with the team," Martin ordered in a very demanding tone. "We can't have you "take things too far"."

Ventus pouted and looked down.

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Chris asked Martin.

"I just… need some time, okay? I'm still not sure I can do it." The brunette sighed.

Koki and Jimmy arrived with a stretcher.

"Okay, let's take this big girl home," she said, carrying the bear.

"We'll be monitoring the area. Good luck, MK," Jimmy said. The eldest and youngest brothers followed the rest of the team. Once they were gone, Martin stared at the cubs.

"Okay, so what would your mom usually do?" he asked them, using his Animal Comprehension power with his medallion.

"She keeps us moving in search of food," the boy cub answered.

"Okay, It must be time for you to eat." The Kratt in blue placed the disk in the CPS, and stroked the cubs' fur. "Activate Grizzly powers!" Once fully transformed, he experimented the smell sense. "Wow, grizzlies do have excellent smelling abilites. Now, let' see if we can gather some food."

"Yeah, food!"

"Yum yum!" his sister cheered. Suddenly, the boy cub landed a paw on a pebble. He yelped and shook the pebble off.

"Looks like you've made a boo-boo, right?" Martin saw the cub's wounded paw. "That's it… I'll call you Boo-Boo." The sister cub giggled. The Kratt in blue caressed and kissed the cub's paw. "It's nothing. It'll heal soon, buddy."

"Thanks..."

"Wait, where's your sister?" Martin looked around to see the female cub was no longer with them. "Oh, boy. Look, you stay here in case she returns and don't come out for anything. I'll go find her."

The cub obeyed immediately, rushing to the cave. Martin looked through the woods.

"Young lady, where are you?" he called. Then, he heard the sound of her yelps nearby. He feared for the worse, as he rushed to see what was going on. But then, his worry was replaced with releief, as he saw the cub merely got stung by a bee.

"Aw, missy, you scared me. What were you trying to do?"

"I was getting peckish," the cub responded. "I tired picking some acorns, but a bee stung me."

"Oh yes, bees can be a problem for any bear, especially when they want honey. But hey, there's something else that's plant you can eat."

"Berries?"

"Even better. Just need to find some," he assured,as he looked around. "Here's some. Goose tongue. Filled with lots of protein, pretty good and healthy." Martin took a graze at the tender plant. "Mmm, a bit salty." The girl cub took a nibble. "Now let's head back to the cave. Your brother must be worried sick."

* * *

In the HQ, Aviva bandaged the mother bear's paw.

"No worries, Momma Bear, you'll be soon reunited with your cubs." Sam patted the grizzly.

"You think Martin's donig okay with the cubs?" Ventus asked.

"He has experience on babysitting baby creatures," Chris commented. "He'll know what to do."

"It's not the cubs. It's that grizzly that attacked her. He will come back to try getting the cubs, you know."

"Martin's tougher than he looks," Jimmy assured. "He won't let anything happen to those cubs."

"I hope so… But I wouldn't like something to happen to him." Ventus stared at the window, sighing. Meanwhile, Jimmy teleported something.

* * *

Back at the cave, Martin kepty watch over the cave and the cubs. He was starting to get hungry. Then, a surprise: Jimmy teleported a basket with some sandwiches in it for him.

"Wow. Thanks, JZ. Thats saves me the trouble of… ugh..." He cringed at the thought of hunting animals. He picked up the basket and entered the cave. As soon as the cubs saw the basket, they dove right in.

"Boy, you two are hungry cubs," Martin chuckled. He watched the cubs eat. The blonde then saw that the sister stopped eating, looking at her brother. "Hey... what's the matter? Food not good?"

"It's not that. He won't play with me anymore… because I went off and worried him," she sulked.

"Okay, listen, you two gotta keep together, especially at a time like this when your mom's being taken care of," Martin told them.

"You didn't seem like that with your sibling. No offense," Boo-Boo commented.

"W-well, the situation was different… It's a family thing, but..."

"Did he try to hurt you?"

"Not exactly..."

"Well… I think such a silly thing shouldn't take away our friendship, right?"

"Yeah... I think you're right, sis," Boo-Boo agreed

Struck with guilt for carrying such a grudge, Martin felt surprised that two one-year-old cubs were able to give him some sense.

"What has your mom fed you?" Martin asked, sniffling. "Your brains' bigger than your bodies!"

"All kinds of stuff. Especially yummy salmon!" Boo-Boo said.

"Yum-yum! I love salmon!"

"You do, huh? You sure say that a lot. So I guess I'll name you this: Yum-Yum." Boo-Boo chuckled at Martin's choice. "So, who's up for some salmon?"

"We are!" the cubs said.

* * *

The two followed the blonde to the river. As Boo-Boo prepared to get their food, Yum-Yum saw the blonde with a sad face.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked Martin in concern.

"... I don't know… I guess I might have made a big mistake..."

"You won't hate him forever, right?"

"I never said I hated him. It's just…" Martin sighed. "I just… can't forgive him…"

"But you can't be mad at him forever. My brother's like that too. He can get grouchy, but he usually makes up for it."

"Salmon, 3'o clock!" Boo-Boo warned, sprinting to the stream. He positioned himself on top of a small waterfall.

"Oooo, the bear's salmon hunting style. They stand on a bit of elevated land of a stream or river and wait there until a fish leaps out. Once they estimate where the fish will jump..." A salmon leaped and Boo-Boo instantly shut his jaw. "Boom! The mouth clamps down." The boy threw the fish to the shore and caught a second fish before heading back to land.

"Not so hungry now. You can keep mine," Yum-Yum decided. Boo-Boo nuzzled his sister. Martin observed the cubs. No grudge could be stronger than their friendship. He smiled.

* * *

"It's getting dark," Chris noticed. "Hopefully. Martin had already gotten dinner to the cubs."

" **Guys, I'm seeing that grizzly that attacked Momma Bear!"** M.A.T.I. warned. The rival grizzly was right on her watch. What she was seeing was put on the main monitor.

"Looks like he's attacking a tree," Elsa said. Then, she saw the grizzly bear's attempts at knocking the tree down, and expelling the critters on it. Eventually, it came falling down.

 **"Did you see what that grizzly did? He'll attack first and ask later!"**

"Think of what he can do to Martin if he finds him!" Ventus feared.

"Ven, wait! We need a plan!" Chris tried to stop him.

"There's no time for a plan! He's in danger this very second! You saw what that bruiser did! I don't care if he refuses my help. He's my brother and I will not lose him AGAIN!" With his CPS ready, he carefully stroked Momma Bear's back. He was fully activated the moment he ran out of the Tortuga.

* * *

With Martin, he was watching the cubs roll around in the grass as they wrestled each other. Then, a menacing scent came into the air. He gasped when he saw the huge grizzly coming their way.

"Danger! Cubs, run!" he shouted, sprinting to them. The bear siblings were quick to run. However, Yum-Yum tripped over the hilly terrain. "Yum-Yum!" Martin carefully pulled her up back onto her feet. At that point, the bear was right behind him.

"Look out, Martin!" Ventus in his own bear suit rammed into the big guy.

"Huh?" Martin looked at who saved him from being mauled. "Ventus!"

"Get out of here! Protect the cubs!" Suddenly, the big bear slashed at him, cutting through his suit. He hissed in pain, but slashed back. "I said go!" the dirty blonde yelled when Martin wouldn't move, glued to the spot in shock.

"Go, go, go!" Martin forced the cubs out of there.

"Alright, you big furball! You wanted a fight, you got it! No one messes with my little brother!" Ventus stood firm, ready to give it all he had. The ferocious predator charged at him.

A fly cam recorded everything, reaching Ventus's location. Martin and the cubs kept watch from a safe distance.

"Oh, _mi querido_..." Aviva feared for her love.

"These brawls can lead to serious injuries, but he'll be okay. I hope," Chris feared as well.

The team cringed when they heard a loud growl of pain. Ventus stepped back, seeing the bite mark on his suit. He growled at the grizzly bear, attacking him once more. Surely he was not willing to give up. But the big guy eventually bit his arm, making him growl louder than before.

"Ventus… stop..." Martin pleaded quietly to his big brother. Was this all his fault?

Ventus panted, feeling the pain of the bites. But he was not gonig to let his little bro, neither the cubs get attacked. However, his vision started blurring.

"I don't think he can take another attack!" Koki gulped. Then, she looked behind. "Hey… Momma Bear's gone!"

Ven couldn't see straight, but a blur of brown tackled him. The grizzly bear was practically tearing him apart.

"Ven!" Martin felt like crying. "No! Please, don't get up!" Ven could hear him, but the words were muffled. He struggled to get back on his feet. Their fight between them was interupted by another charging bear.

"Mom!" Boo-Boo and Yum-Yum cheered. Martin sighed of relief.

The grizzly mom attacked the insane predator. Her paws were much better now, and stronger than ever. With one final strong push and a bite, she expelled once and for all the enemy grizzly.

"Alright, Momma Bear!" Martin cheered. The cubs rushed to meet their mom.

"No one does it better… than a natural bear mom," Ven groaned weakly with a weak smile. Then, he fainted.

"Ventus!" Martin gasped. Then, he picked up his big brother and carried him on his back after deactivating him. "Come on, big hero, let's get you home." He felt tears sting his eyes from hearing his deep breathing.

* * *

"Well, looks like Boo-Boo and Yum-Yum will be just fine," Aviva commented, as the team observed the bear family together. "Now that their mom's back, these two will grow up safe and sound."

"Wow… you were right. Grizzlies are tough," Ventus said, and he flinched as he felt the pain.

"Just don't put too much stress on yourself, and you'll be fine in no time," Chris guaranteed, as he finished bandaging his big brother.

"Ventus… um, thank you for the help," Martin said, kneeling down and resting his head on his arms. "But you could've..."

"... No problem... It's the least I could do… no matter how much you..."

"Look… I'm sorry for the last past days…" the Kratt in blue interrupted. "I just… found it very hard to find the strength to forgive you." Ventus felt even more resentful. "A-and no matter how much you say you're sorry, sometimes… sorry just isn't enough." Ven tried to lay his hand on his.

"I think I understand." Martin took his hand in both of his instead.

"So… look, don't expect me to forgive you already… I think I still need some time... but I do expect you to continue helping us. You may be a troublemaker, and a hard-to-deal person… but you're still my brother, and I love you very much. And I don't want to ever ignore that again."

"I... I think it's good enough… good enough for me." Ventus felt teary-eyed, as he saw his brother weakly smile at him.

 _Martin (voice-over): There are times where words can't make up for mistakes and past actions. But being with Momma Bear's cubs made me realize that no matter how rough the mistakes can be, you can't simply turn away from the ones you love. That is even more (giggle) un-bear-able. And even though it MIGHT take a while, I will never forget about Ventus again. Not about my protective big brother._

The two gave each other a small fist bump. The team felt happy they were talking to each other once again, and so did the reunited bear family.


End file.
